Boeing rolls out first Poseidon MMA for South Korea

The first of six Poseidon MMAs for the Republic of Korea Navy was rolled out from the Boeing paint shop on 3 February. (Boeing)

Boeing presented the first of six P-8A Poseidon multimission maritime aircraft (MMA) for South Korea on 3 February.

Aircraft 921 (tail number 230921, construction number 170023) was rolled out of the Boeing paint shop near Seattle in the livery of the Republic of Korea Navy (RoKN).

With South Korea's Foreign Military Sales procurement having been approved in September 2018, which the country signed in March 2020, deliveries are due to begin in 2023.

Once in service, the P-8s will initially augment the RoKN's eight Lockheed Martin P-3C/K Orion maritime patrol aircraft, before eventually replacing them.

Derived from the Boeing 737-800 commercial airliner (but with 737-900 wings), the P-8A Poseidon has been built by a Boeing-led industry team that includes CFM International, GE Aviation, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, and Spirit AeroSystems.

Besides the RoKN, the P-8A Poseidon is flown by the Royal Australian Air Force, Royal Norwegian Air Force, UK Royal Air Force, and the US Navy, and is on order with the Royal New Zealand Air Force and the German Navy. The P-8I Neptune is flown by the Indian Navy.